Publication

This paper discusses negotiations related to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The idea was conceived by 34 Western Hemisphere nations at the first Summit of the Americas in 1994. Nine years later, the United States and Brazil brokered a compromise whereby the FTAA incorporate a two-tier framework comprising a set of 'common rights and obligations' for all countries. The plan combined with voluntary plurilateral arrangements benefits all the countries related to commitments.